Prehistoric Times (Issue 99)

Prehistoric Times Autumn 2011 – Reviewed

And so the penultimate edition of the dinosaur fan’s magazine before that all important centenary issue arrives and what a treat it proves to be.

In a novel twist, this issue of Prehistoric Times is available with two different front covers. One copy has the armoured dinosaur Gastonia on the front cover, an illustration done especially for the magazine by William Stout. The second version has a picture of a Styracosaurus model created by that highly talented sculptor and model maker Steve DeMarco. We think (well actually we know because the editor told us), that there are plans to do something similar with the 100th edition. For the record we were sent the Styracosaurus cover version and it was great to read the story of how Steve made this model in a feature entitled “One Horned Army”.

Our Prehistoric Times Featuring Styracosaurus

“One Horned Army”

Picture Credit: Mike Fredericks

Amongst all the dinosaur and prehistoric fossil news, there is a super feature written by Tracy Lee Ford on how to draw Terror Birds, all part of his acclaimed “How to draw Dinosaurs” series, we won’t split hairs between avian and non-avian members of the Dinosauria but this article points out some potentially fundamental differences in bird versus dinosaur locomotion. This suggests that birds may not be a good study model when considering how dinosaurs moved about.

James Field, that fantastic British prehistoric animal artist is interviewed and this edition features several of his beautiful illustrations. Keeping up the British theme to this edition of Prehistoric Times there is a wonderful article by our dear chum Anthony Beeson on the development of the prehistoric animal model figures produced by the London Natural History Museum in conjunction with Invicta Plastics (Leicester). The black Scelidosaurus (cost me 27 pence) is still amongst my favourite possessions and it was fascinating to read the first part of this article. Part two will feature in the next edition.

As if all this and the “Mesozoic Mail” and letters page was not enough, there is even an article celebrating the 150th anniversary of Archaeopteryx and a pictorial tour of the new dinosaur halls at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

With a feature on how to build your own model T. rex, an article on Gastonia, product reviews and the chance to enter the annual Prehistoric Times awards there really is some much in this edition, it is going to be hard for the team behind this magazine to top it for that special 100th issue.